The Kansas State Fair is just around the corner, starting next Friday, Sept. 11.
In the pages of this issue of The Tribune, you will find previews of the fair overall and the lineup of grandstand entertainment. We are particularly excited for a local band, Wabash and Lake, to get a spotlight at the grandstand as part of the Sept. 19 Rock Fest lineup.
The state fair manages a complex balancing act. It is positively loaded with tradition, but it is always changing and evolving. That contradiction will be highly visible with the updates to the 89-year-old Bison Arena and the fresh look of the giant slide.
The fair will be loaded with exhibits, food, animals, rides, games, food, live entertainment, commercial booths, and did we mention food? The fair wouldn’t be complete without something deep-fried and something on a stick—which often is the same thing. But it’s hard to go wrong with food at the fair. Calories don’t count at the fair, right?
The state fair is sure to be delightful again, and it will feel even more delightful if, as the weather forecast predicts at the time of writing, our ongoing heat wave breaks just in time and we get weather in the 80s and low 90s for the 10 days of the fair. Perhaps those cooler days will lead to more visitors streaming into the fairgrounds this year, after nasty storms dampened the mood and waterlogged parking lots last year.
Hopefully, there won’t need to be a repeat of last year’s shuttle program—although we want to again commend the Kansas State Fair, Hutchinson Community College and City of Hutchinson for making that work on short notice when the parking lots around the fairground became too soggy to use for a few days.
Even if you aren’t going to the fair on a particular day, it pays to keep the fair and fair traffic in mind. Remember how traffic changes when tens of thousands of visitors are going to and from the fair. We plan to be especially mindful of how busy the intersection of 17th Avenue and Plum Street can be during the fair and to use routes that don’t add to possible congestion.
And remember, the point of the state fair isn’t only the food, the concerts or the exhibits. It’s all of those things, and more, all together. Straight from the Kansas State Fair’s mission statement, the point of it all is to “promote and showcase Kansas agriculture, industry and culture, to create opportunity for commercial activity and to provide an educational and entertaining experience that is the pride of all Kansans.”
So if you make it to the fair this month, take some time to learn about what our state has to offer. See the exhibits showcasing Kansans’ arts and crafts. Savor the food. And at the end of the day, go home a little bit more connected with your state.
–The Hutchinson Tribune Editorial Board